


The Garden Unseen

by Warriorsqueen



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Dark Side Rey, Gen, Loss of Limbs, Not Canon Compliant - Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rey Skywalker, Seduction to the Dark Side, The Dark Side of the Force, The Force, What is a legacy, force sensitive trees, legacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-09-09 18:11:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8906734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warriorsqueen/pseuds/Warriorsqueen
Summary: Luke Skywalker turned away.
  
  They were frozen in time, Rey's arm extended and his back to her.
 Luke denies Rey for training, so she turns to an alternative route to becoming a Jedi.





	1. Temptation

**Author's Note:**

> I'm glad to finally get this story out into the world! I've been planning this since TFA came out and been writing it for almost as long. I hope you enjoy!  
> May The Force be with you.!

Luke Skywalker turned away. Rey had extended the lightsaber, pleading with everything but her own voice. He had stood there, staring into her eyes. And he turned away. She didn’t move. She couldn’t move. This rejection cut into her and she couldn’t react.

They were frozen in time, her arm extended and his back to her.

“We need your help.” It was only thing Rey could convince herself to say. She didn’t dare speak more.

“Go back to the resistance and tell them that I cannot help."

“Then help me! Train me as a Jedi. Let me learn so that I can defeat Kylo Ren!"

Rey could see Luke reacting to her words, but she couldn’t quite read the emotion as he remained solidly facing the water.

“Our legacy is that of being tempted by the dark side of the force. I cannot help you." 

Rey could feel tears pricking at her eyes “Why? What have I done?"

“Your fate affects all of the galaxy. I only hope that you can’t fall if you never rise."

The tears began to fall. “What fate? I’m just a girl who was abandoned on Jakku. I’m not going to fall to the dark side!"

Luke finally turned towards her, emotion hanging heavy in his own eyes. “I am so sorry Rey. I set you on this path, and now there is nothing I can do to save you. I-“ his words trailed off and he turned away again.

Rey stood there, her arm now dropped to her side. Luke Skywalker- the greatest hero of The Rebellion and Jedi Master- was afraid. So afraid that he only left cryptic remarks and rejection. It shouldn’t affect her so much.

But it did.

She gave in.

Rey turned her back to the old man and made her way back down the steps. When she got back to the millennium falcon, she didn’t speak except to say that they were leaving and that Luke wasn’t coming along.

The trip back to D'Qar was quiet, with the only discussion about the flight itself. Once the ship had landed, people began to swarm the area.

Rey disembarked first, her eyes staring straight ahead. She made no eye contact, striding forward and trying to hold herself together. The crowd pressed on, questions on their lips. But Rey had no answers. Luke wasn’t with them. 

She tried to keep her head up and not make eye contact, but the crowd of so many eyes mad it difficult. But, finally, she reached the edge when Finn was waiting for her. Finn, who had been unconscious when she left. Finn, who had tried desperately to protect her and had gotten hurt for it. Finn, who would understand what she didn’t. She ran forward and pulled him into a hug. His arms were warm and comforting, everything that she needed in that moment. 

“I’m going to bring you to General Organa, ok? She’ll debrief you and then we’ll talk.” Finn’s voice was quiet in her ear, breath warm on her cheek.

She nodded against his shoulder, hugging him just a little tighter. Finn let go and grabbed Rey’s hand before leading her into the complex. He clearly knew the building better then she did, because he navigated the twisting halls with confidence. By time they reached the center of operations, Rey was completely lost.

The center of operations itself didn’t help either, with a certain chaotic energy in the air. People were running around and conferencing and modeling things on countless interfaces. Rey could only stare at the chaos around her.

Finn dragged her through the crowds, pulling her to where General Organa seemed to be waiting for them in the back. When they reached her, General Organa pulled Rey into a hug. 

“Thank you for your help Finn. I can take care of her from here."

Rey couldn’t see Finn, but she guessed that he probably smiled that great smile of his. Or maybe he look concerned. Maybe he held no expression at all. No matter his expression, he left without saying a word.

Leia released the hug, and began to lead Rey into a room just off the main control center. The room was bare except for two chairs facing each other with a table in-between. General Organa sat down in one and gestured for Rey to sit in the other. Once Rey sat, General Organa’s entire face relaxed.

“Tell me, what happened to happened to my brother?” He voice sounded tired, like she had given up hope for any good news.

Rey closed her eyes briefly, trying to calm herself before beginning. “He was there. Alive."

General Organa let out a deep breath, a small smile gracing her face. “Keep going."

“He’s refusing to help. He won’t leave the island and“ -Rey could hear her voice beginning to choke- “he said that he refuses to train me."

Leia’s smile slipped. She reached out and covered Rey’s hand with her own.

“Tell me exactly what he said."

“He-he said that it’s our legacy to be tempted by the dark side. That he set my on this part and he won’t train me."

Leia’s eyes widened with surprise. “How did I not see this before? It is you."

Rey pulled back in suspicion, “What are you talking about?"

Leia gripped Rey’s hand even tighter. “Did he say anything else"

Rey shook her head, “He mentioned something about my destiny, but nothing beyond that."

Leia’s eyes lowered “I wish that I didn’t have to be the one to tell you this. But Luke is your father."

Rey couldn’t speak. She couldn’t think. Her brain was malfunctioning. Nothing made sense.

So she ran.

She ran from the room into the twisting halls she couldn’t navigate. She could feel the force in body trying to guide her, but Rey didn’t listen. She ran until she found a way out of the compound and into the forest beyond.

She kept running until she couldn’t run any further. She collapsed on the ground falling into the soft dirt.

How? How was this the reality she was living?

Luke Skywalker, the one who had denied her at Ach-to, had been the one to abandon her on Jakku. He had denied her training and had denied her any sense of family.

Rey could feel tears beginning to fall again. She had cried more in the last few days than she had at any point in her life except for when she had been abandoned on Jakku.

She thought about Luke- the father who had willingly abandoned her twice. She thought about Han- he who had been like a father when she had known him. Had he known who she was? She thought about Leia- the aunt who was trying, if only to not have a repeat of her own son.

A fear of falling to the dark side. It kept her entire family at a distance. But she would prove them wrong. If no one would teach her how to be a jedi, she would teach herself.

Rey smiled. Ok, so what did she know about the jedi? The legends said that the Jedi were peacekeepers who would fight using lightsabers, and that they were super spiritual because of their connection to the force. She seemed to be doing ok on the lightsaber bit (she _had_  defeated Kylo Ren), so the force seemed like a better way to start.

But how to do that?

Meditation? That felt like a good starting place. 

Rey rearranged herself so that she sat cross-legged with her hands on her knees and her eyes closed. She tried to empty her mind, thinking only of the energy within and surrounding her.

But she couldn’t. Her mind was still back in the room with General Organa. 

Rey shook her head. She needed to focus. She needed to learn this. For the sake of her friends.

Maybe a different approach was needed. Rey took a deep breath and brought her mind back to Jakku. She imagined herself walking across the sand, the heat so intense she could feel it one every inch of skin. She could feel her staff strapped across her back, but she was still dressed in clothes she received from the resistance. Rey kept walking until she decided she found a nice spot. She slid her staff off of her shoulder and stabbed it securely into the sand. She sat down with her back against the staff and began to meditate. She could hear footsteps in the sand, but she stayed in position.

The footsteps stopped.

“Why are you here?"

The voice was soft. Clearly male, but barely louder than a whisper. 

“I wish to gain knowledge from the force. For the force to train me."

“Why not seek out a teacher?"

“The only person who could teach me has rejected me, but I still need to learn. My friends need me to learn."

“Then I shall teach you. Open your eyes."

Rey could feel a smile on her face as she opened her eyes. The memory of the intense heat was gone, and she was back in the D’Qar forest.

“Tell me, what do you see?” The voice was in her head. It was slightly louder than before, but still rather quiet. 

Rey’s eyes scanned the area ahead of her.

“Trees. Fallen branches. Underbrush. Rocks."

“Good. Push your ability in the Force further. Find your way back to base with your eyes closed."

“But I-"

“Close your eyes and find your way back to base."

Rey sighed. She may have found a teacher in the force, but apparently even the force could grow impatient. She closed her eyes and tried to tap into that part of herself that she had found to be connected to the force.

Walking with the force guiding her was something unlike anything else rey had ever experienced. It was like the force was taking the place of a sense she hadn’t even known was missing. She knew which way to face and where to step without being able to see it. Before long she could feel the ground beneath her feet change from soft dirt to solid duracrete. 

“Rey!” Rey’s eyes shot open. She was standing on the edge of the runway with Finn running towards her. “Rey, where were you? We were looking everywhere for you?"

“I-" Rey paused. How could she explain to anyone what she was doing?

“Then don’t explain.” The voice in her head was quieter than before but just as insistent.

“I was just overwhelmed by everything and had to get away."

Finn nodded in acceptance. "I get that. It was weird for me once I woke up and started moving around. You’re probably not used to being around so many people paying you so much attention."

Rey nodded but didn’t elaborate further. She didn’t know how.

And as the days passed, she found herself doing the same thing. Going out into the forest to train in the force, being found by Finn on her way back, and giving a noncommittal response as explanation.

This continued until the day Finn decided that instead of dragging Rey off to get food he dragged her off to the room he shared with Poe. 

Rey thought Poe was nice. He was one of the few people on the base who tried to talk to her about more than being a jedi or meeting Luke Skywalker. He had a really great energy and Rey was just happy that Finn had someone that was watching out for him.

But on that day, he wasn’t talking to her about all the exiting little details of X-Wing engines.

He was asking if she would join him on a trip to Yavin IV to visit his father.

“I was going back home and I want you and Finn to come with me. Both Finn and I think getting you off base would be good, and I know you’re itching to fly again."

Rey smiled. 

"It _would_ be nice to pilot the falcon again."

Poe's face lit up "Okay! It looks like we're going!"

And thus Rey found herself piloting the millennium falcon to Yavin IV. The trip itself was fairly calm and uneventful. Poe acted as her copilot and navigator (something he was very excited about), so that helped. But Rey’s mind wasn’t fully present. She was back on Ach-to, denying her father’s prophecy.


	2. Imperilment

Yavin IV was an interesting world. Everything was much quieter that the base at D’Qar, and the culture reminded Rey of Jakku in a way that made her feel at home. 

But even in a place that felt like home, Rey just felt lost. 

The entire purpose for the trip was for Poe to visit his father, and Finn was sticking close to them. Rey, on the other hand, had taken up wandering through the area and observing everything. The forests were so lush and full of life. She often found herself sitting under a tree and just looking up at the branches stretching high above. 

This continued for nearly a week, until Rey found herself sitting with Finn, Poe, and Poe’s father Kes at a meal table. The had been eating dinner when Poe had mentioned that Rey had gone to meet Luke Skywalker. 

“Luke Skywalker! It has been a long time since I heard that name. I’m honestly surprised he’s still alive. He had a huge target on his back after The Empire fell."

Kes leaned back in his chair. “They were legends. Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo- have you heard of Han Solo? He was lost to myth a bit more than the others."

Rey made aye contact with Finn before staring down at her plate. ‘Yes, I knew him. I was there when he died."

Kes immediately sobered up. “Oh, I hadn’t heard that he died. He was my commander at the battle of Endor.”

A silent sadness filled the air.

Poe tapped his father on the shoulder. “Tell her about the tree."

Kes smiled. “Oh yes, the tree. Back during the war, my wife Shara was a a-wing pilot. Her last mission for the rebel alliance was flying Luke Skywalker to retrieve two force sensitive trees from the Empire."

“Force sensitive trees?"

“Yep. Apparently, The empire had stolen them straight out of the old Jedi Temple. But Luke hadn’t expected there to be two trees, so he gave Shara the second one. She planted it right here in the yard as soon as we moved in."

Rey could hear Finn exclaiming about how amazing that is, but those words floated in one ear and out the other. All she could focus on was that Poe’s father said the tree came from the Jedi temple. That tree _had_ to have some knowledge of the force hidden in it.

As soon as the meal ended, Rey made her way into the yard. Immediately, she could see which tree it was. It sat just outside of the tree line the made up the yard’s borders, and it looked stronger and healthier than the ones around it.

Rey walked forward and laid her hand on the tree’s trunk. She could feel the force, latent and humming just beneath the surface. A smile creeped across her face. This was it! the moment to prove Luke wrong. to prove that she was worthy of becoming a Jedi, by learning in the same way they did. By doing it all herself.

She sat beneath the tree, holding the meditation pose she had found to be comfortable, and began to reach out with the force. She could feel the tree reaching back towards her until she was transported somewhere else.

Suddenly, she was standing in a stone hallway. There were huge towering pillars that held a ceiling, and people were moving through with a silent urgency. There was a group of children of various races being herded down the hallway. Everyone was wearing robes the Rey instinctively knew to be the uniform of the Jedi.

Rey couldn’t speak. This was the old Jedi temple! These people were all jedi!

Suddenly, the people in the hallway were more urgent. They were running, all in one direction. They were screaming words Rey couldn’t hear. Then, the bodies started to fall. Blaster bolts were hitting people from behind as they ran away. Jedi stopped and drew their lightsabers, blocking as many shot as they could before they were overwhelmed and struck down.Then there was a flash of a red lightsaber and the last of the Jedi fell. Rey couldn’t move. The figure with the red lightsaber stood directly in front of her. he turned his head, and all she could see was the bright yellow of his eyes before the scene shifted again.

Now she was back on the rebellion base on D’Qar. It was dark and rain was ponding down. In front of her stood Kylo Ren, his face scowling. An ugly scar bisected his face where she had struck him back on starkiller base, and his eyes glowed the same inhuman yellow that the figure had in the Jedi Temple. At his feet, lay a number of dead bodies - so many that Rey had to look away. But when she glanced down again, all the bodies were gone but two. Rey could feel her hands shaking. the two bodies were Finn and Poe. Kylo Ren twirled his lightsaber in frustration, his slicked hair making him look like some sort of deranged creature.

And then suddenly she was back in her own body, eyes wide open. Rey scrambled away from the tree, breathing heavily as she went. What was that? What happened?

“You just received visions from the Force- one of the past and one of the future.” It was voice inside her head, the one that had been teaching her.

“Then, my friends…” Rey trailed off, the words caught in her throat.

“Yes, Kylo Ren will kill your friends. Unless you can gain the power to stop him."

Rey fell to her knees. “Please, help me gain that power. I _need_ to protect them."  

“Then I shall teach you all I know. I will teach you all the secrets of the Force."

The rest of the trip passed quickly, and Rey remembered it mostly as a blur. The voice had sent her to practice the Force in the forest. With the voice guiding her, she learned to turn her anger to send out a shockwave. By time she had that mastered, it was time to head back to D’Qar.

Once they got back, Rey tried not to isolate herself as much. She would still go out to the forest and train in the force, but she also began lightsaber training with Finn. While he didn’t know how to use a lightsaber specifically, he did have more applicable combat training than anyone else on the base. And it worked. Rey could feel her skill and power growing, but she had no idea how much.

That its, until Poe and Finn were sent off on a mission. In fact, most of the base was empty because of how many people were sent off on this mission. But Rey was left behind on base.

At first, she simply suspended her lightsaber training and focused more on learning about how to use the Force but soon Rey found herself wondering. 

She had a lightsaber- a very good one at that and it was clearly powerful if Kylo Ren had wanted it so badly. But what if she made one of her own? What would it be like? 

“You should make you own.” Her master’s voice broke Rey out of her daydream.

 “What do you mean?"

“You’ve reached the point in your training where you should create your own lightsaber."

Rey could feel excitement bubbling in her chest. “What do I have to do? What do I need?"

“Before you get anything else, you need a Kyber crystal. It’s the lightsaber’s main energy source. They’re a bit difficult to find after the empire had most of the natural deposits destroyed, but not impossible."

Rey felt something spark in her in her brain. “They would be pretty popular on the black market, right? Then if I go back to Jakku and interrogate Unkar Plutt, he  would know who was buying or selling these Kyber crystals. And, when I’m there I can go and retrieve the few things I owned."

“That sounds like a good start. I will leave you to that."

Chewbacca and Poe had taken The Falcon, so that was out of the question, but Poe’s X-Wing had been left behind. Rey wrote a quick note explaining that she had taken the ship and was headed to Jakku and left it in the room she shared with Finn. She could already imagine Finn’s reaction to reading that note- he hated Jakku so much.

The trip itself wasn’t terrible. It was about a half-day trip and Rey knew Jakku well enough know where a safe landing spot was. 

Jakku itself hadn’t changed- unrelenting heat and endless sand. Rey felt like a different person walking across the sands. Instead of light and flowing fabric her clothes were softer and newer. She had left her staff in the X-Wing and Luke’s lightsaber was strapped to her hip and her hair was pulled back in a braid instead of her traditional three buns.

But when Rey walked up to Unkarr Plutt’s trading stand, she felt just like the little girl that had been abandoned there. She walked straight up to his shack, shaking hand being the only hint of her fear

 “What do you want?"

“I’m looking for Kyber crystals. Do you know where I could find them?"

“Kyber crystals, eh? Not many people ask for those around here. I _might_ happen to know where to get one but I need to know if you’ve got the credits."

Rey gave a reassuring smile. “Don’t you worry, I do."

Plutt’s eyes squinted “Do I know you?"

Rey startled backwards “No, I don’t think so I-"

“Yes- you’re the one that stole my ship! You’re going to pay for everything you’ve done!"

Rey took a step back, hand falling to her lightsaber. This isn’t what she had planned! As thugs began approaching from behind her, she turned and ignited the lightsaber. The blue of the blade shone bright against the muted colors of Nima Outpost and everyone watching took a step back, while scrappers and traders ran for safety.

Rey could hear Plutt laughing. “A lightsaber? That’s what you wanted the crystal for? you must be crazy. How about you hand over that lightsaber and your debts will be repaid."

Rey’s blood ran cold. “My debts? What do I owe you for? All I had ever done with my life was scavenge parts for you to sell."

“You did that of your own choice. You stole my ship and I took you in as child out of the goodness in my heart. For that alone you owe me.” The thugs started creeping closer but stopped agin when Rey grabbed tighter onto the lightsaber.

“Out of the goodness of your heart? You took me in because I was free labor! You din’t even make sure I was able to survive on what you gave me."

The thugs started moving even closer. Rey’s back was now up against the stand, plutt on the other side of the fence breathing down her neck. “Yes, but you did survive didn’t you? You  and your friends. The one who you stole my ship with and that droid. You’re all alive, all because I allowed it."

Rey turned in a rage, blade cutting through the thin wall of the shack. She could hear Plutt’s screams but she ignored him. She turned again, reflecting the shots of the thug’s blasters. Calling on the force, she pushed one of the thugs back and sending him flying. she swung with her lightsaber cutting straight through another thug’s hand. He screamed and fell to his knees grasping at the stump with his other hand. The first thug had gotten up and began to rush at rey, who simply sidestepped and brought the blade down on him, cutting him cleanly in two. The third thug stood there shaking as Rey strode up to him. With a quick motion, his head was no longer attached to his body.

Leaving the carnage behind her, Rey turned back to Plutt. “Now, tell me about where to find Kyber Crystals."

Plutt heaved a pained laugh “I’ll never tell you girl."

“Then you must die.” Rey’s lightsaber cut into his chest right over his heart. He let out a sharp gasp then nothing.

Rey deactivated her blade and stalked over the remaining thug, lifting him up with the Force. “Where can I find Kyber crystals?"

“We- we sell them to the first order, a supplier brings them here first."

“Show me.” Rey dropped him, and the man scurried into the shack where Plutt’s body laid.  He soon returned with a small box about the size of a small blaster. Rey grabbed the box and carefully opened the lid. Inside sat five small silvery crystals. She closed the lid and smiled softly.

“This is your power Rey. The power to destroy your enemies and protect your friends. Are you ready to learn this path?” The voice in her head sounded proud as Rey walked back to her borrowed X-Wing with the box of crystals under her arm.

“I’m ready.”


	3. Submission

Rey sat cross-legged, her brow furrowed in focus. In front of her sat all the potential pieces for her lightsaber and the box of crystals. Slowly, Rey used to force to levitate the pieces into their proper slots, but when everything seemed perfect it clattered to the floor

She wanted to scream in frustration.

She was sitting in the sand, much like she had first imagined when she found her teacher in the force. She had taken some of the scavenged scrap pieces and found what seemed to be the correct pieces for a lightsaber. But as she worked within the force, nothing wanted to go together.

“You need proper supplies. This trash isn’t right for your blade."

Rey almost growled in response to the voice in her head. Of course it was right, but where else would she get supplies? 

“I think it’s time for us to finally meet face to face.” Rey shot up in surprise.

“How? You’re just-"

“I am a voice in the force, but I am not one with the force. I am very much alive, and it is time for us to meet."

“Where shall I meet you?"

“No need to go anywhere. Leave the ship, and go where you used to live. I will meet you there."

Rey picked up her box of crystals. She needed to make this lightsaber immediately, and if her teacher would bring her the pieces she needed then meet them she must.

With the box securely under her arm, Rey began the long trek to her old home in the fallen At-At. It was a strangely familiar feeling, like she hadn’t been gone for months.

When she eventually made it to her old home, Rey was hit with a wave of disgust. What had been her home was now gutted. The side of walker had been ripped open and the area where she had kept her stuff was empty. All that remained of hers was the small cloth doll she had made and the trampled remains of a flower. 

“How disgraceful."

Rey slowly turned, eyes widening in shock and her hand immediately at the blade on her hip.

Kylo Ren. He stood in front of her, unchanged from how she had last seen him on Starkiller Base with exception of a wide scar diagonally across his face.

“You-"

“Not expecting me? I had told you that you needed a teacher."

Rey’s blood ran cold, anger filling her. Kylo had been the one to teach her? Her teacher in the force, the only person she had trusted without question was the one she had would kill her friends.

Kylo raised a hand, calling the force to hold her frozen on the spot. Rey struggled, trying to pull control of the force away from him.

Kylo took another step towards her “I only have been trying to help you. We have a bond in the force. I have taught you so much, and helped you grow so much in your knowledge. Accept me as your teacher, as your master, and I can teach you so much more."

Rey continued to struggle, the force and anger building up within her like a coiling serpent about to strike.

Kylo took another step forward. “I can help you build your lightsaber. I can give you what you need and guide you through it. We can be like the Sith of old, upholding the rule of two."

Rey’s eyes closed and knowledge rolled over her like a wave. “The rule of two. One master and one apprentice. One with power and one to desire the power."

Kylo’s voice gained a note of excitement. “Yes, and we would follow the ways of old. we would achieve the power that is our legacy."

“No.” Rey’s eyes shot open, the force pulsing even more deeply within her. Kylo took a step back, fear locking his eyes to hers. “The power is my legacy and not yours. You have no power that I desire."

And with that, Rey pushed out with the force which sent Kylo flying backwards into the sand. As she stalked towards him, she drew the lightsaber at her side. The one owned by her father before her and his father before him. A lightsaber that there was no longer a claim to except by her.

When she reached Kylo, he had also ignited his lightsaber and was twirling it a sneer on his face. “Do you honestly think you have surpassed me my apprentice."

Rey didn’t respond, instead moved with the force to pull the blade from his hand. Kylo watched in surprise as the stuttering lightsaber fell into her hand. She twirled both blades, the red and blue lights casting harsh shadows across her face.  She crossed the blades and placed Kylo’s head between them.

“You will answer my questions. Answer quickly and you might survive."

Kylo didn’t respond. Rey lowered Kylo’s own blade to burn into his shoulder. His scream echoed across the sand.

“Where can I find Supreme Leader Snoke?”

“His location constantly changes. I don’t know his current residence.” Kylo's voice was quiet, like a shamed child.

“Then how do I contact him?"

“Through the First Order."

Rey humphed. She was a known enemy of the first order, so she couldn’t do that.

“What am I missing for my lightsaber?"

“You don’t have any of the right parts. I have a kit on my ship with the parts you need.”

“Lead me to it.”

Rey watched as Kylo scrambled to his feet, her grip on both lightsabers solid and unyielding. They set off across the sand, Kylo limping as he went. They soon reached the ship, a small first order transport ship intended for personal use. 

As they boarded the ship, Rey deactivated her own lightsaber, but kept Kylo’s blade flickering at her side. Kylo himself had begun digging through a storage shelf and soon drew out a box, not unlike the one Rey had holding her kyber crystals. 

“Well you have your parts. Anything else you need before you kill me?”

“I have no plan to kill you.” Rey took a step toward Kylo, twirling his lightsaber in her hand. “I still have use of you. You will return to the first order and speak nothing of this encounter except to the Supreme Leader. And you will tell him that I request his presence.”

Kylo also took a threatening step towards her. “And why should I do that?”

Rey’s eyes flashed and Kylo stepped back just as she raised the flickering lightsaber and sliced through his right arm just above the elbow. Kylo’s scream echoed across the empty desert as he sank to his knees, clutching at what was left of his arm.

“Pass on the message or I shall not be so merciful next time.” Rey picked up the box with the force and left the ship, Kylo’s lightsaber still warm in her hands.

When Rey got back to D’Qar, she barely talked to anyone. She had answered questions about her recent departure with how “The Force called her away.” She spent all of her time out in the forest meditating on her lightsaber. With the new kit and both her father’s lightsaber and Kylo’s as guides, her own was coming along very nicely.

And after three days of no sleep it was done. Rey rose from the position she had been meditating in and ignited her saber. Twin crimson blades emerged from the hilt, casting a red glow over the rain drenched forest. The blades themselves were steady and the hilt balanced. Rey gave the saber an experimental twirl, moving it in the same way she had used her old staff. A small smile spread over her face.

Rey deactivated the blade and reached out for Kylo in The Force. “Tell the supreme leader I am on my way to meet him.” 

Kylo sent a feeling like a small nod then cut off the connection.

Rey clipped all three blades to her belt and began trekking through the forest back to the landing platform. She would need a ship, something small. An X-Wing could work but that was to heavily tied to the rebellion. She could take the Falcon, but that was too big for a single person and too easily identifiable.

Rey paused once she made it to the platform. Sitting out and ready to fly was Poe’s X-Wing. That could work. If Poe’s X-Wing was gone, he couldn’t chase after her with the same speed. He’d have to either borrow a different X-Wing or co-pilot the Millennium Falcon with Chewie. Yes, that could _definitely_ work.

“Rey!”

Rey froze. No. No. Not now. She turned around. Standing there on the landing platform was Leia. Her normally tightly bound hair was slicked by the rain and her expression was one of pain. Finn stood beside her, his eyes filled with concern and confusion.

“Rey.” Leia’s voice was softer this time. “You can’t do this.”

“Do what?” Rey’s voice was angrier that she expected.

“Don’t give in to our family legacy.” 

“Legacy?” Rey couldn’t help but laugh. “This family legacy forced this on me! If Luke had just- “Rey cut herself off, closing her eyes and shaking her head slowly. “But that’s in the past. Now I have to stop before the future comes true."

“What future?”

“A future where you all die! And I’ve changed it!” Rey pulled Kylo Ren’s lightsaber from her belt. “Kylo Ren was going to kill you, but I have his weapon!”

“Did you-” Finn’s voice shook as he spoke, but Rey cut him off.

“No, Kylo Ren is alive. So long as he remains useful.”

Leia took another step towards Rey “What is your plan now? You’ve saved us from my son.”

“My plan is to meet with the Supreme Leader and he will train me in the force. I have learned all I can from Kylo and I must gain more knowledge.”

“And what about the resistance? Will you just abandon us for the enemy?”

Rey glared towards Leia, who stood her ground. “I don’t care about the resistance. All I care about is that my friends are safe, and I need more power to do that."

“Then I cannot allow you to leave. I cannot allow you to defect to the first order, especially knowing the location of our base.”

Rey nodded slowly, attaching Kylo’s lightsaber back to her belt.

“I understand completely. But I must go.”

From her belt, Rey now had her old lightsaber in her hands. The lightsaber that had been Luke’s and his father’s before him. The lightsaber that Kylo had believed to be his birthright. The lightsaber that Leia should have been the owner of.

Rey stared into Leia’s eyes, her own eyes now a glowing yellow. “You were never in my vision to save.” 

Rey ignited the lightsaber, the blue blade burying itself in Leia’s gut. Leia’s face was one of surprise, her body language eerily similar to what Rey had seen on the dying Han Solo.

The lightsaber deactivated and Leia Organa slumped to the ground, dead. Rey turned to Finn, extending the deactivated lightsaber hilt to him.

“Take this, and go to my father. Take Poe, he can fly the Falcon with Chewbacca. Get away from here as soon as possible.”

Finn stood in shock, seemingly still processing what happened. Rey set the lightsaber at his feet and turned away back towards Poe’s X-Wing. 

“Why?” Finn’s words caused Rey to freeze.

“The force needs balance. If I follow this path, I can bring balance to the force. You need to follow your path too. Luke will train you once he realizes what happened.”

“I… I don’t even know what happened!”

Rey turned back towards Finn, her eyes still glowing yellow “I did what I had to do to protect you. But you can tell my father that I gave in to my legacy. The legacy he could have saved me from if he hadn’t been so afraid.”

Finn picked up the lightsaber and ignited the blade “You know I need to stop you now.”

Rey pulled new lightsaber from her belt. “I know that you think you do. I’m doing this for you. If you get out of here, you will be safe. I can keep you safe.”

Finn shot a quick glance at General Organa’s now rain soaked corpse “I really don’t want to fight you, but I have to.”

Rey ignited her own lightsaber the two blades glowing. Her Sith-yellow eyes burned with sadness “I don’t want to fight you either but I have to save you. Even if it’s from your own beliefs."

Finn ran at Rey, his blade ready to swing. With a twirl of her own lightsaber, Rey’s own blade was blocking him. Rey reached out with the force and pushed, throwing Finn across the platform. In that time Finn used to recover, Rey ran for Poe’s X-Wing. She threw another force push before reaching the ship. She quickly boarded and began powering up the machine. 

Rey could hear Finn screaming for her to stop, but she ignored him. This was for his own good, for his own safety. 

The screaming continued in the force even as the X-Wing lifted and flew off.

Rey reached out to Kylo with the force bond. She could feel his pain, both from the physical loss of his hand and the emotional pain of grief. Rey raised an eyebrow in surprise. It appeared that he could feel his mother’s death in the force and was grieving for her. That could be used against him. But for now, Rey needed to meet the Supreme Leader. 

She needed to gain power.

She needed to save everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was planning to kill Leia off long before Carrie Fisher passed, which made writing it that much harder. I thought about changing it, but I felt like changing it could have changed the entire story in ways I didn't want.   
> But beyond that, I hope everyone who read enjoyed the story. I'm thinking about a sequel but I don't know how much interest there would be both on the readers end and my own so please let me know.


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